


One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

by TheGreatTribbleEmpire



Category: Dishonored (Video Games), Thief (Video Game 2014), Thief (Video Games)
Genre: Crossover, Drama & Romance, M/M, Mistaken Identity, Misunderstandings, Old Crow Dad meets Young Thieving Magpie, Post-Dishonored 2 (Video Game), Post-Thief 2014
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-04-15
Packaged: 2020-01-14 14:10:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18477847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheGreatTribbleEmpire/pseuds/TheGreatTribbleEmpire
Summary: For a long time the Eternal City has been nothing more than a forgotten fragment of the empire so far out of the way that not even the Abbey bothers with it. But recently rumours had been arriving in Dunwall of a new plague and the fall of the Northcrest Barons and much of the nobility.Seeking to fix the problem before they find themselves with another Delilah the Empress Emily sends her former Lord Protector to find out what happened.





	One for Sorrow, Two for Joy

The City is on the horizon now and Corvo still feels no more at ease than when he had left Dunwall. For a long time the Eternal City has been nothing more than a forgotten fragment of the empire so far out of the way that not even the Abbey bothers with it. But recently rumours had been arriving in Dunwall of a new plague and the fall of the Northcrest Barons and much of the nobility.

This was not something Emily was willing ignore and Corvo agrees. Something bad had happened here and he needed to make sure it was fixed; the Empire could not handle another upheaval so soon after Delilah’s coup.  

He tells one of the sailors to tell him once their close to shore and heads back to his cabin shaking of his damp coat as soon as he’s inside. At least the weather is familiar, Corvo will never be fond of the cold damp weather in this corner of the world but after decades in Dunwall he’s used to it.

Emily’s letter is still resting on his desk and Corvo picks it up rereading the familiar words. The official one is first authorising him to take control of the City and get it back on it’s feet but that’s followed by a second one that’s far less formal. A daughter to her father, assurances that she’ll be fine and warnings not to overdo it. She’s grown so much from the little girl he once knew, she took back an empire by her own and only became stronger for it.

“Jessamine, you would be so proud of her.” He certainly is.

Placing the letter aside he starts leafing through the familiar reports. On one hand are the Graven, they have reportedly splintered, their leader vanished. Most of the mob has vanished with him but what remains are the extremists.

On the other hand is the surviving nobility and Corvo would bet that those who aren’t baying for blood are already scheming for the Baron’s seat. If they’re anything like those in Dunwall they’ll be the hardest to deal with.

Still he’s been helping Jess and Emily for decades and putting down revolts since before that. So why does he still feel like there’s something wrong about this whole affair?

 

It turns out that he was right about the nobles. Only a day in the City and Corvo is sick to death of them. So far their all willing to follow his lead but Corvo has no illusions as to why. They see him as the key to power, once they realise they can’t bribe him then things will get tricky and most likely bloody too.

 He’ll enjoy it while it lasts at least, after all it’s a lot easier to put reforms into action when people aren’t trying to stab you.

A knocking sound draws Corvo from his thoughts “Lord Attano. Captain Malbery to see you sir.” Opening the door Corvo sees a middle-aged man in a guard uniform, he’s clearly nursing a few wounds under his clothing but still holds himself up straight as he salutes Corvo.

“Lord Attano I was informed that you wished to speak with me.”

“Yes. Come in.” Malbery follows his lead taking a seat opposite Corvo’s desk. “I was informed that you were responsible for taking back Stonemarket.”

“In a sense sir.” Malbery responds “It wasn’t my plan but then the old Captain was cut down and someone had to step up.”

“Still you salvaged what could have been a disaster.” Corvo says, he’d already read up on the incident but it was always telling to hear a man describe his own actions. “I’ll put this simply Captain, the Watch is currently leaderless. The higher officers were either killed during the initial riots or received permeant injuries and even the Thief Taker General is currently bedridden with sever burn wounds.”

Malbery looks startled his previously straight-backed posture slipping as he realises what Corvo is getting at. “I, Sir you can’t be suggesting...”

“As you said Captain someone needs to step up. My question is if you are willing to be that person.” There’s a long pause as the man considers it and Corvo hopes that he agrees. The Watch had clearly seen better days and rooting out the corruption in it’s ranks would be near impossible without someone he could trust.

“Yes Sir.”

That brings a small breath of relief but Corvo doesn’t have time to settle in it. “Thank you.” He says picking up a small sheet of papers “I hope you won’t mind getting started right away. There are some things I wanted to clarify.”

“Like what Sir?”

“This Orion, by all accounts he and his followers were on the verge of taking the City before he disappeared? But in my experience men don’t normally disappear for no reason.”

“I’m afraid I can’t help you much their Sir.” Malbery apologises. “Last we knew they were holed up in the old cathedral, that place is a warren and we were to hard pressed enough in the main districts to even think of going in there.”

“But the General did?”

“That’s what I’ve heard.” He pauses looking faintly apprehensive “He stopped reporting a few hours before the Baron’s mansion went up in smoke. McCormick was the last person to speak with him that I know of and he said the General was still fuming over that Master Thief.” 

The title is vaguely familiar but not one Corvo can immediately place. “Master Thief?”

“Ah sorry Sir, forgot your new to the City. The Master Thief is one of the most infamous criminals in this here City, he doesn’t harm people but you’d be pressed to find a place he hasn’t robbed. The General was very ah, focussed, on catching him Sir.”

“I see.” Corvo had already planned to speak to the General when he came around but this is interesting. If the General was that obsessed with this thief it would explain him disappearing but that also means said thief was in the Graven hideout. That begs the question why?

“Was this Master Thief working with the Graven.”

“Not that I know of Sir but that wasn’t something I was looking into.”

“Very well.” Corvo lets the topic drop and instead asks about the known holdouts for the Graven. That is something Malbery is much more knowable on but Corvo keeps playing around with the idea in the back of his mind right up until he dismisses the Captain. He waits for a few minuets until the man is long gone before leaving the office and taking the stairs up to the records office.

He’s been Emily’s spymaster for 15 years and Corvo would like to think that he’s developed good instincts for when things don’t feel right. Something about this feels significant and a few hours reading up on what little the Watch knows of this thief only serve to make it stronger.

He needs more direct information than the guards can provide though. He could wait of course and start creating informers but that might take too much time and Corvo has been feeling restless. Emily would probably be annoyed at him considering all the times he scolded her for exploring Dunwall on her own but Corvo knows exactly where she got those traits from and it wasn’t Jess.

He takes his mask from its hiding place and slips it on, adjusting the lenses with practiced ease and then slips out of the window into the darkness of the City. Time to hunt down a thief.

**Author's Note:**

> I was planning on adding a Garrett PoV to this but it just wouldn't fit so that'll be coming in the next chapter. :) Hopefully that won't take long to get done but I do have a couple of other fics I need to work on so no promises. 
> 
> The title comes from the old poem about Magpies, it was said that seeing one on it's own would be bad luck but more than that brought good fortune. And of course these two loners have had more than their fair share of bad luck. 
> 
> I have a tumblr under the name thegreattribbleempire.tumblr.com so feel free to check that out and I hope you enjoy. :)


End file.
